New Facts: CBO Projects Debt to 120% of GDP by 2036
Debt held by the public is projected to top the postwar record of 106% of GDP in 2030. It reaches 120% of GDP in 2036.
Deficits add up to about $24 trillion over the next decade. The annual shortfall reaches roughly $3.1 trillion, or 6.7% of GDP, in 2036. Net interest payments are about $1 trillion in 2026 and reach about $2.1 trillion by 2036.
Rising costs for Social Security, Medicare, and interest drive the increase, with total spending rising from about 23.3% of GDP in 2026 to 24.4% in 2036. Tariffs add roughly $3 trillion to revenues but lift inflation from 2026 through 2029. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act adds about $4.2 trillion to the debt through 2034.
Social Security’s retirement trust fund is now expected to be exhausted in 2032. The Highway Trust Fund is projected to run out in 2028.
Synthesized from 20 sources
Committee for a Responsible Federal BudgetPeter G. Peterson FoundationPBSAl JazeeraAxiosThe Detroit NewsReutersInvestmentNewsBakerinstituteAPThefiscaltimesCrfbFinance CommerceCryptoslateQazinformIndexbox247wallstFinanceBitcoinworldIdnfinancials
AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources
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